6 Reasons You're Having An Unexpected Bad Hair Day

One day you're marveling your luscious locks in every car and store window that catches your reflection, and the next you can't leave the house without a giant beanie pulled over your head.

And bad hair days really are, well, bad. One study even found bad hair days lower our mood, self-esteem and have a negative effect on our mental health.

So, let's talk about bad hair days. Here's what up:

You washed your hair with really hot water.

Although taking a super-hot shower is undeniably one of the most awesome activities out there, it's not the best idea if you're hoping for a good hair day.

So if your hair really looks like sh*t today, think about the temperature of the water you washed your hair with last night or this morning.

Washing your hair with cold (or at least cooler) water can help seal in moisture from your conditioner, leaving it with that shiny, bouncy look.

You need to do something about your shampoo.

Ever notice how great your hair looks when you run out of your Aussie shampoo and randomly decide to switch to Garnier Fructis?

This has less to do with your shampoo and more to do with your hair. What's probably happening is the chemical balance of your hair has changed from product buildup over time, so your hair is simply responding to new chemicals.

Instead of switching shampoos and worsening your chemical situation, try using a clarifying shampoo once a week to dissolve product buildup.

You're eating crap.

While it may seem like your hair has a life of its own, it doesn't. Your hair is made up of a dead protein called keratin. Your hair follicles, however, are responsible for growing your hair -- and they're far from dead.

And that's where some of the weird hair-related stuff comes in, especially when you're eating foods that don't support healthy hair like lots of bagels and cupcakes (how great does that sound though?!).

Although your diet is more likely to affect what your hair looks like over time than its daily look, make sure to eat protein and iron-rich foods that support strong, healthy hair like eggs, bananas, fish and spinach.

You actually need to wash your hair more.

You've probably heard washing your hair every day is bad for it, but there's not much evidence to back that up.

If washing your hair less also means you'll be using your flatiron less, then sure -- the less heat damage the better. But in some cases, you're not doing your hair any favors by skipping a daily wash.

Good Housekeeping notes if you live in a polluted city, humid environment or work out every day, your hair could probably benefit from a daily wash.

You need a haircut.

Holy split ends!

As we mentioned above, your hair is not living. So the longer it gets, the more dry and brittle it gets. Your hair grows about half an inch every four to six weeks, so take that into account the next time you notice your hair looking limp and lifeless.

A trim can do wonders for those bad hair days.

You're stressed out.

Hormones effect how our hair looks, and stress has an impact on our hormones.

So if work's getting you down and your hair's looking more brittle than ever, try take a few deep breaths in the name of your hair.

And we hate to break it to you, ladies, but certain times of the month are hard on your hair.

For example, the week before your period triggers estrogen production, which will make your hair more oily -- meaning you may have to shampoo twice.

Now that you're armed with information about your bad hair days, here's hoping you have less of them.